Posted by Jessica Ward on 10/25/10 7:57pm
Msg #358194

Combining some tricks to improve peace without losing client

I know we've all commiserated about how to take a shower without getting phone calls with scheduling requests.... a few days ago I posted that I had downloaded the drivesafe.ly app for my phone for when I'm in the car, as I often get scheduling calls, emails and texts--and while I want the work, I don't want to fish for my phone in the car....

Well, today I accidentally left the thing on speaker while I hopped in the shower, and sure enough, the phone rang, but the speaker caller ID announced "NAMEREDACTED Title Company: NOTE DOES NOT PAY" (just as they're listed in my phone book).

AWESOME! I could shower in peace and know that a: I didn't have to answer the call and b: there would be no voice mail to check.

I'm totally buying the full version. :-D

Reply by John Schenk on 10/25/10 10:08pm
Msg #358218

Leave your phone in the bedroom and shower in peace! LOL

I don't answer the phone while in the shower, and I don't answer the phone while I'm sittin on the pot. There just should be some places that have some sanctity where I'm not disturbed, and those are my two. LOL

Sounds like a pretty kewl program though if I ever decide to get one of those really kewl phones I'm not planning on getting soon. LOL

JJ

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 10/25/10 10:12pm
Msg #358220

I'm with you 100% John!!! n/m

Reply by John Schenk on 10/25/10 10:36pm
Msg #358228

Re: I'm with you 100% John!!!

Not in the shower or on the pot you're not. ROFL

Just tired and silly. Just finished for tonight. Had a cluster at my last closing, and had to wait on Title and the LO for an hour to work it out...at least the Cowboys were playing...and have probably already gotten beat by now unfortunately. GO TEXAS RANGERS!!!!

JJ

Reply by Grammyzoom on 10/26/10 5:21am
Msg #358243

I get my peace on the weekends.

I answer my phone every time it rings regardless of where I am in the house. One of the best customers I every had called me the first time while I was in the shower. Business is not like it used to be and I think it is important to answer your phone. You could be losing out on an important opportunity. Of course if you have more business than you can handle let it ring let it ring!

Reply by Jessica Ward on 10/26/10 10:07am
Msg #358263

Haven't had a weekend in weeks!

I started in the NSA business when things were really down. I took 2-3 closings a day, 4-5 days a week and that was fine with me. Now the volume is positively crushing and I'm doing 4-6 closings a day, 7 days a week. I know many can do more than 6-8 in a day, but I'm in Western Wash and cover a pretty big area (about 100 miles from home in all directions). Calls frequently involve ferries, mtn passes, etc. I'm kind of used to the feast-or-famine business, and now struggling to reserve some "break time."

I'm scheduling off Thursday-Sunday to recover and promising myself not to accept any more assignments. Even for the clients who "pretty please." But I definitely feel like when I don't pick up the phone, I'm loosing clients or potential income. The flip side is when I do turn off the phone for a couple of days for peace and sanity, there's 100 voice mails. :-/

Balance is hard to find.

Reply by janCA on 10/26/10 10:26am
Msg #358269

Re: Haven't had a weekend in weeks!

Jessica, you actually drive 100 miles to do 1 signing? I just can't imagine that. My cutoff is around 40 miles and in order to make any money off that signing I would have to charge a pretty hefty fee. I usually stay within 20-25 miles and usually less. I hope you're being compensated well for those 200-mile roundtrip signings. Wow!

Reply by Jessica Ward on 10/26/10 4:43pm
Msg #358331

Re: Haven't had a weekend in weeks!

I'll do 100 miles for the right fee (it's a whopper, and for the far afield places, they're willing to pay) Also, I have a pretty good idea of the places that my clients have a hard time finding coverage so I'll let a lot of my "regulars" know I'll be in the far afield places, I send out a message telling them I'll be there. (i.e. "Next Wednesday, I've got some islands--Vashon, Maury and Bainbridge"). I can usually piggyback several jobs for several clients, and it works great. It's the only time I've ever had to solicit work, and I've gotten feedback that my clients actually enjoy having those updates, because they know the areas they dread to schedule in.

Also, if I schedule in a far out place, I let them know what I'm charging for travel, but that if they have more I can do on the same trip, no extra travel charge.

The weird travel ones (mtn passes, islands, Peninsula and other areas outside the general Puget Sound area) never loose me money, or I wouldn't take them.


This is why I'm moving to fully-mobile printing though, because sometimes I'm already far out and get another assignment bin the same area for later in the day. Thanks to whomever recommended The Inverter Store--they hooked me up with exactly what I needed!

Reply by CopperheadVA on 10/26/10 5:23pm
Msg #358337

Re: Haven't had a weekend in weeks!

Wow, your slow time is what my busy time is.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 10/27/10 2:39pm
Msg #358473

Re: Haven't had a weekend in weeks! LOL!!

Maybe that's an area where XYZ didn't set up camp and conduct monthly training classes back in the refi mania days... (For a while, they were holding at least one a month in my coverage area and in several other large population centers.) As we know very well, every area is different.

Reply by Jessica Ward on 10/26/10 10:01am
Msg #358261

Re: Leave your phone in the bedroom and shower in peace! LOL

for what it's worth, I never answer the phone from the shower, nor other private places, but I do like not feeling like I have to hurry up if I hear the phone ringing.